Back at the Barnyard
Back at the Barnyard is a Nickelodeon show that is a spin-off of the 2006 film Barnyard. The debut series premiered on September 29, 2007 on Nickelodeon. The show is produced by Omation, the animation division of O Entertainment, in association with Nicktoons Studios. The show mainly features pop culture references and parodies for the entertainment of the show. In March 2008, Nickelodeon renewed the show for a second season consisting of 20 episodes. This is Steve Oedekerk's second animated series for Nickelodeon, as he was one of the executive producers (but not creator) for The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Plot The plot generally revolves around Otis (a bull) and his barnyard friends. Otis wants to goof around, but has to be responsible and protect the inhabitants of the farm. He and his friends Pip (a mouse), Pig (a pig), Peck (a rooster), Freddy (a ferret), Abby (a cow), Duke (a dog) and Bessy (a cow) have many crazy adventures, while at the same time help Otis protect the farm. The setting is unknown although heavily implied to be California. Otis and his friends have to overtake many obstacles like Mrs. Beady trying to prove that animals can talk, and goals like to distract the farmer, so they can party every week. Frequently, the gang's fun is interrupted by Mrs. Beady, a woman obsessed with showing the world that the animals can walk and talk so they can "be paraded around the world in cages like the freaks you are!" The gang's other nemesis is Snotty Boy, Mrs. Beady's obese teen nephew who enjoys torturing the animals. The animals dress up like people when out in public, though nobody ever notices except Mrs. Beady. The setting of the show is not known although the town is most likely called Odeville. Characters List of Back at the Barnyard Characters Otis Otis is a black & white bull who is referred to as a cow because of his udders. He is the leader of the barnyard, and the adopted son of the late Ben. He is very strong, courageous (as seen in the Barnyard movie when he defeats the coyotes), goofy, and most importantly, extremely hunky and handsome. Otis loves to pull pranks (see War of Pranks) and hang with his friends Pip, Freddy, Peck, and Pig. He has a crush on Abby as revealed in The Uddered Avenger and has a rivalry with Bessie. Kevin James is the voice actor for Otis in the movie, while Chris Hardwick voices him in the show. The character design for Otis was created by Southern California Artist Mark Beam. Pip Pip is the gray, wise-cracking mouse with a slight Mexican accent. He is best friends with Otis and frequently rides around on Otis's shoulder, as it is 'like his own little taxi'. When Otis thought he only had a week to live, Pip attempted to make new best friends with Freddy and Peck, which ended in disaster, i.e. bees coming after them. Pip has an ongoing crush on Bessy. He enjoys raiding mouse traps at Mrs. Beady's house, which in one episode results in his getting captured by Snotty Boy, who attempts to feed him to his pet snake. He is voiced by Jeff Garcia. Abby Abby is a tan female cow with brown spots, a blond french braid, beauty mark, and a country accent. In the episode "Cupig" it is revealed that she uses yellow hair dye. She is friends with everyone, though Freddy's unstable mental health frequently strains their friendship. It is unrevealed where she came from, how she got here, or what happened to Daisy the cow, who she is said to have "replaced". She also is an incredible athlete and likes to avoid harming living things, such as when she refused to turn in Bigfoot for a large cash reward. She also enjoys professional wrestling, has been challenged and defeated Otis in a cage match. She has a crush on Otis, and reveals that she likes him on newly released Cowman: The Uddered Avenger. She is voiced by Leigh-Allyn Baker. Freddy Freddy is a ferret who also lives in the barnyard. He is known for his unstable mental health, as he is obsessed with eating his friends Peck, Pip and even one of the sheep. Bessy often calls him a 'mangy mongoose'. In the episode "Meet the Ferrets", it is revealed that Freddy has not seen his parents in twelve years. Upon invitation to Freddy's surprise party by Otis and the gang, Freddy tries to uphold the facade of carnivore for his parents while keeping the rest of the barnyard in the dark about it. He divulges his secret to Otis just in time to save Peck from becoming birthday dinner. Freddy then comes out about his vegetarianism to his parents who are ashamed and disgraced by it but loving and accepting at the same time. Freddy has a fondness for explosives, and has been shown to enjoy woodworking, though he only makes pencil cups. He even has the talent to dislocate all of his bones at once, grossing the other animals out. When talking to a human doctor over the phone, he realizes his mom may have only liked him as a friend, much to his sadness. This however is probably not true, as she is very loving to him in the episode "Meet the Ferrets". He is shown to have multiple personalities. He's not a barn animal, but he still stays at the barnyard with all of his friends. He also has a tendency to overreact. Voiced by Cam Clarke in the movie and the series. Peck Peck is a rooster who is best friends with Freddy, despite Freddy's frequent attempts to eat him. He is shown to have trouble cawing, and in one episode is shown teaching yoga. He is also the teacher at the barnyard school, and is said to be accident prone. He is blissfully unaware that Freddy wishes to eat him and thinks such a notion is ridiculous, even though Freddy has begun to eat him multiple times, like during the episodes "The Big Barnyard Broadcast" and "Big Top Barnyard", but only to spit him back out. He is voiced by Rob Paulsen . Pig A dull, obese pink pig who'd prefer to spend his day eating or grooming his pet skunk, "Skunky". He's one of Otis's friends. He is revealed to have a "beautiful" singing voice in the episode "Barnyard Idol". He loves to spend his day in mud and filth, making farting sounds with his arm-pit, and stuffing his face. He is also a very good baker. In one of the episodes, his pies become so famous that a man offers to buy his recipe for a "million bajillion" dollars, but Pig refuses to sell his grandmother's famous recipe. He is the only character named after his animal species. He is voiced by Tino Insana. Duke Duke is the farmer's black & white sheepdog. He isn't shown as often as the other characters, but he is still considered a main character. He's usually a dim-witted dog, while his sheep appear to be geniuses. He hopelessly dreams of being the barnyard leader someday, and in the movie he tried to take leadership after Ben died; of course, no one voted for him except the other dogs and a small kitten. He usually doesn't have very much common sense, and takes pleasure in sniffing others' behinds.He looks like Barnyard Dawg from Loony Tunes. Bessy Bessy is the sassy brown cow that has a tendency to yell. She's not afraid to tell it like it is. She, as Otis says, has a "heart of acid". She's usually very mean, especially to Otis. Some could question whether she secretly likes Otis or not (her insults are mostly directed to him). She also knows how to pull a prank. Bessy was introduced in the movie Barnyard with her friend Daisy. In the episode "Otis's Mom", she reveals that she had a son who floated away with balloons at a county fair. All she has to remember him by is his cowbell, which, strangely, Otis has. In addition, she is the principal of the Barnyard School. Mrs. Beady Mrs. Beady is a crazy woman who tells everyone that animals can walk and talk after seeing Otis and the gang fooling around in her front yard, but nobody believes her. She always calls Nathan, her husband, Mr. Lump, because he sits on a couch all day. Farmer Buyer Farmer Buyer is a short man who considers the animals his family. He is often tricked by the animals (so they can have fun). His last name was revealed to be Buyer in the episode Buyers Beware Cast History Beginning Origin (2004-2007) Around Summer 2004, Steve Oedekerk began pre-production of creating a new film that stars barnyard animals. Later in Fall 2005, Steve has ended production of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius after working with Butch Hartman with the last two Jimmy Timmy Movies, which Production officially closed November 2006. Through April 2006 and August 2006, commercial shorts, and teasers begin to be released. A Barnyard video game was also released shortly after similar games as Nicktoons Unite, Tak: The Great Juju Challenge, and SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, Pants!, which featured a cross-save function that unlocked bonus content for every one of these game featured on the same memory card. Nickelodeon then released Steve's new movie, Barnyard in August 2006. After the movie's successful reception, Nickelodeon has given the green light for his new 3-D Nicktoon, "Back at the Barnyard". In March 2007, Nickelodeon released promotional commercials for the new series during the 2007 Kids' Choice Awards. Popularity (2007-present) Back at the Barnyard premiered on Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play in September 2007. After its premiere, the new series was rated a hit. Back at the Barnyard remained a popular Nicktoon into 2008. In fact, Back at the Barnyard characters Otis and Pip made appearances with Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) and Lil' JJ (Just Jordan) at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. During the return on SuperStuffed Nicktoons Weekend, a brand new Back at the Barnyard movie aired on November 29, 2008. On January 19, 2009, the Original movie "Barnyard" aired for the first time on Television. In March 2008, Nickelodeon gave the series another season, which debuted October 24, 2008. Episodes DVDs *''Volume 1: When No One's Looking'' Release Date: August 5, 2008 **''The Good, the Bad, and the Snotty'' **''Escape From the Barnyard'' **''Cowman and Ratboy'' **''Cow's Best Friend'' **''Chez Pig'' **''The Right Cow'' **''Saving Mrs. Beady'' **''The Farmer Takes a Woman'' *''Volume 2: Cow's Night Out'' Release Date: TBA, 2009 **''Cow's Night Out'' **''The Barnyard Games'' **''Raging Cow'' **''Dead Cow Walking'' **''A Tale of Two Snottys'' **''Home Sweet Hole'' **''Hypno A Go-Go'' **''Pecky Suave'' **''Bigtop Barnyard'' External links * Official Site * Press Release * Mark Beam - Character Design / Associate Producer * The Tv.com Page * [http://barnyard.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page WikiBarn, the Barnyard Wikia] * * Category:NickToons Show